Gene Barry's gift to his readers is a poet's brilliant, courageous, and powerful rendering of family dysfunction, child abuse and sexual molestation. In this exquisite collection of poems, Barry writes with compassion and heart-wrenching expression of 'aged uncleanable stains,' where 'there were zeppelins always knocking around his skyline,' 'belching the dark with upsetness.' In Flaking the Rope, Barry is not afraid to challenge us, layering his poems with wisdom and metaphor as he ventures and navigates his way into the depths of pain and trauma, revealing unconscionable acts and life-altering experiences, and, in the process, illuminating us with intelligent writing and striking word combinations. Gene Barry is a masterful poet, one who truly wants change for this world, an enlightened activist who pens gorgeous poems. Flaking the Rope extends love and forgiveness at its centre, expresses hope of universal healing, where 'a hug is a thesaurus that blankets every wound.' Jeannie E. Roberts, author of The Wingspan of Things, Romp and Ceremony, Beyond Bulrush, Nature of it All and other books.